This application claims the priority of German Patent Application No. 198 25 651.5, filed Jun. 9, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle having a convertible top.
A motor vehicle of this type is known from German Patent Document DE 37 38 500 A1. This motor vehicle can be provided with a protective wall by which the occupants of the motor vehicle are largely shielded from drafts when the convertible top is retracted. The protective wall consists of a transparent plastic covering which comprises several rigid plate sections connected by way of film hinges and which can be mounted behind the front seats of the motor vehicle in front of a rollover bar. A disadvantage in this case is that the mounting and the removal of the protective wall are relatively time-consuming. In addition, when the protective wall is spread out, the convertible top which is carried along in the motor vehicle cannot be closed without problems.
Furthermore, from German Patent Document DE 43 00 924 C2, a removable roof part for passenger cars with a retractable top is disclosed as a one-piece, fixed roof shell. This roof part can be locked in place in the front of the vehicle with the windshield frame and in the rear of the vehicle with a rollover bar forming the B-column area of the motor vehicle. The roof part ends on its rearward edge side with a wind deflector. However, this roof part does not provide a rearward shielding against air currents penetrating from the rear into the occupant compartment for the purpose of preventing drafts. It is also disclosed to use the roof part as an alternative to the top, which is carried along. As a result, changing between the roof part and the convertible top requires considerable expenditures.
It is an object of the present invention to further develop a motor vehicle having a convertible top that can be changed at low expenditures from an open position that shields the occupants from drafts into a closed position and vice-versa.
This object is achieved according to the present invention by a protective wall that is advantageously used as a rear wall portion of the convertible top. During the closing of the convertible top, the protective wall can remain in a shielding protective position. Together, the roof portion and the protective wall form the convertible top or the roof structure. As a result, the roof portion can be designed as a relatively flat, stiff roof shell that can be stored in a correspondingly space-saving manner. Because of the double utilization of the protective wall, the total storage space required for the roof portion and the protective wall is no larger than in the case of a normal convertible top.
The roof portion is expediently manufactured in a light-weight construction, for example, from aluminum or from fiber composite synthetic materials. In addition to having a light transport weight, the roof portion can therefore be handled or driven more easily.
If a rollover bar arrangement exists close to the protective wall, the roof portion can be fastened on the rollover bar arrangement, which has a sufficiently stable design, in addition to being fastened on the windshield frame. The fastening on the rollover bar arrangement is even possible without problems if the rollover bar arrangement comprises two bows arranged behind the headrests of the seats. Two fastening points for the rearward side of the roof element which are spaced apart from the longitudinal center axis of the motor vehicle are expedient.
In the case of a two-seater sports car (e.g., a roadster or a speedster) the protective wall is preferably arranged in a transverse plane of the vehicle extending directly behind the rearward window edges of the side windows. As a result, the protective wall can be constructed as a single straight and largely planar window.
In order to simplify opening of the roof, movement of the roof part can be controlled by a guiding linkage. When the top is closed, the guiding linkage is covered largely by the closed rear lid or trunk lid. An almost completely hidden laying of a pair of guiding linkages can be arranged below assigned elevations and indentations of the rear lid.
The protective wall can preferably be displaced independently of the roof portion into an inoperative position. In the case of a largely planar window as the protective wall, a window guidance can be provided similar to that customary for lowerable side windows of doors and the like.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.